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Exodus 5
English Standard Version
Exodus 5
English Standard Version
Making Bricks Without Straw
5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold (A)a feast to me in the wilderness.’” 2 But Pharaoh said, (B)“Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, (C)I will not let Israel go.” 3 Then they said, “The (D)God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” 4 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your (E)burdens.” 5 And Pharaoh said, “Behold, (F)the people of the land are now many,[a] and you make them rest from their burdens!” 6 The same day Pharaoh commanded the (G)taskmasters of the people and their (H)foremen, 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.”
10 So the (I)taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw. 11 Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’” 12 So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13 The (J)taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.” 14 And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh's (K)taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?”
15 Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, “Why do you treat your servants like this? 16 No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.” 17 But he said, “You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks.” 19 The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, “You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.” 20 They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh; 21 and (L)they said to them, “The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
22 Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”
Footnotes
- Exodus 5:5 Samaritan they are now more numerous than the people of the land
Egzòd 5
Haitian Creole Version
Egzòd 5
Haitian Creole Version
5 ¶ Apre sa, Moyiz ak Arawon ale bò kote farawon an. Yo di l' konsa: -Men sa Seyè a, Bondye pèp Izrayèl la, voye di ou: Kite pèp mwen an ale pou yo ka fè yon fèt pou mwen nan dezè a.
2 Farawon an reponn: -Kilès ki Seyè a pou m' ta swiv lòd li, pou m' kite pèp Izrayèl la ale? Mwen pa konnen Seyè sa a. Mwen p'ap kite pèp Izrayèl la al ankenn kote.
3 ¶ Moyiz ak Arawon di l': -Bondye ebre yo te parèt devan nou. Tanpri, kite n al fè yon ti vwayaj nan dezè a. Lè n'a fin mache pandan twa jou, n'a rete pou n' touye bèt n'ap ofri bay Seyè a, Bondye nou an. Si nou pa fè sa, l'a voye move maladi sou nou, osinon l'a fè nou mouri nan lagè.
4 Wa Lejip la di Moyiz ak Arawon: -Poukisa nou vle fè pèp la kite travay li? Tounen nan travay nou!
5 Farawon an di ankò: -Gade. Nou wè jan pèp sa a vin pi plis pase moun peyi a. Koulye a atò, nou ta vle pou yo kite travay yo?
6 Menm jou sa a, farawon an rele moun peyi Lejip ki te chèf kòve yo ansanm ak moun pèp Izrayèl ki te fòmann yo, li ba yo lòd sa a:
7 -Pa janm bay moun sa yo pay ankò pou yo fè brik, jan nou te konn fè l' la. Se yo menm ki pou al ranmase pay yo bezwen.
8 Men, se pou yo founi menm valè brik yo te konn bay anvan an, san manke yonn. Se yon bann parese yo ye. Se poutèt sa y'ap kriye, y'ap di: O wi, ann al ofri bèt pou nou touye bay Bondye nou an.
9 Fè yo travay pi rèd. Pa kite yo poze menm. Konsa yo p'ap gen tan pou yo koute tout radòt moun ap vin di yo.
10 ¶ Chèf kòve yo ak fòmann yo vin di pèp la: -Men sa farawon an voye di nou: Li p'ap ban nou pay ankò.
11 Se nou menm ki pou al ranmase pay kote nou ka jwenn. Men, se toujou menm valè brik la pou nou bay.
12 Se konsa, pèp la gaye toupatou nan peyi Lejip ap chache zèb pou fè pay.
13 Chèf kòve yo te dèyè yo tout tan, yo t'ap di yo: -Se pou nou fè menm valè brik chak jou menm jan ak lè yo te konn ban nou pay la.
14 Chèf kòve farawon yo te mete kèk moun pèp Izrayèl pou sèvi fòmann. Ata fòmann sa yo te anba makak tou. Chèf kòve yo t'ap mande yo: -Poukisa ni ayè ni jòdi a, nou pa t' bay menm valè brik nou te konn fè anvan an?
15 ¶ Lè sa a, fòmann yo ki te menm ras ak moun pèp Izrayèl yo t al plenyen bay farawon an. Yo di l': -Monwa, poukisa ou fè moun k'ap sèvi ou yo sa?
16 Yo pa ban nou pay ankò. Atousa, se tout tan y'ap mande nou pou nou fè brik. Lèfini, yo mete nou anba makak. Men, se moun pa ou yo ki antò wi, monwa.
17 Farawon an reponn yo: -Se yon bann parese nou ye. Se poutèt sa n'ap di: O wi, kite n al ofri bèt pou nou touye bay Seyè a.
18 Al nan pye travay nou, tande! Yo p'ap ban nou pay ankò. Degaje nou bay menm kantite brik la.
19 Fòmann yo ki te menm ras ak moun pèp Izrayèl yo vin wè yo te nan yon move sitiyasyon lè yo mande yo pou yo fè menm valè brik yo te konn fè a chak jou, san manke yonn.
20 Antan y'ap soti kay farawon an, yo kontre Moyiz ak Arawon ki t'ap tann yo.
21 Yo di yo: -Se pou Seyè a wè sa nou fè la a. Se pou l' pini nou. Paske se nou menm ki lakòz ni farawon an ni moun k'ap sèvi l' yo pa vle wè pèp Izrayèl la. Nou mete yon nepe nan men yo pou yo fini ak pèp la.
22 Lè sa a, Moyiz tounen al jwenn Seyè a ankò, li di l': -Seyè, poukisa w'ap maltrete pèp la konsa? Poukisa ou te voye m'?
23 Depi menm lè mwen t al bò kote farawon an pou m' pale avè l' pou ou a, se maltrete l'ap maltrete pèp ou a. Epi ou pa fè anyen pou delivre pèp la.
Exodus 5
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Exodus 5
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 5
Pharaoh’s Hardness of Heart. 1 Afterwards, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Let my people go, that they may hold a feast[a] for me in the wilderness.” 2 Pharaoh answered, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord,[b] and I will not let Israel go.” 3 They replied, “The God of the Hebrews has come to meet us. Let us go a three days’ journey in the wilderness, that we may offer sacrifice to the Lord, our God,(A) so that he does not strike us with the plague or the sword.” 4 The king of Egypt answered them, “Why, Moses and Aaron, do you make the people neglect their work? Off to your labors!” 5 Pharaoh continued, “Look how they are already more numerous[c] than the people of the land, and yet you would give them rest from their labors!”
6 That very day Pharaoh gave the taskmasters of the people and their foremen[d] this order: 7 “You shall no longer supply the people with straw for their brickmaking[e] as before. Let them go and gather their own straw! 8 Yet you shall levy upon them the same quota of bricks as they made previously. Do not reduce it. They are lazy; that is why they are crying, ‘Let us go to offer sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Increase the work for the men, so that they attend to it and not to deceitful words.”
10 So the taskmasters of the people and their foremen went out and told the people, “Thus says Pharaoh,[f] ‘I will not provide you with straw. 11 Go and get your own straw from wherever you can find it. But there will not be the slightest reduction in your work.’” 12 The people, then, scattered throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw, 13 while the taskmasters kept driving them on, saying, “Finish your work, the same daily amount as when the straw was supplied to you.” 14 The Israelite foremen, whom the taskmasters of Pharaoh had placed over them, were beaten, and were asked, “Why have you not completed your prescribed amount of bricks yesterday and today, as before?”
Complaint of the Foremen. 15 Then the Israelite foremen came and cried out to Pharaoh:[g] “Why do you treat your servants in this manner? 16 No straw is supplied to your servants, and still we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Look how your servants are beaten! It is you who are at fault.” 17 He answered, “Lazy! You are lazy! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Now off to work! No straw will be supplied to you, but you must supply your quota of bricks.”
19 The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble, having been told, “Do not reduce your daily amount of bricks!” 20 So when they left Pharaoh they assailed Moses and Aaron, who were waiting to meet them, 21 and said to them, “The Lord look upon you and judge! You have made us offensive to Pharaoh and his servants, putting a sword into their hands to kill us.”
Renewal of God’s Promise. 22 Then Moses again had recourse to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have you treated this people badly? And why did you send me? 23 From the time I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has treated this people badly, and you have done nothing to rescue your people.”
Footnotes
- 5:1 Hold a feast: the Hebrew verb used here, hagag (“to celebrate a feast or a festival”; see 12:14; 23:14), refers to a community celebration marked above all by a procession to the sanctuary. It is used especially of three major feasts: Unleavened Bread, Pentecost (in 23:16, “the Feast of Harvest,” but customarily “the Feast of Weeks” [Shavuot]), and Succoth/Sukkoth (in 34:16, “the Feast of Ingathering,” but more frequently “of Booths, or Tabernacles,” as in Dt 16:13, 16; 31:10; Lv 23:34; Zec 14:16; passim) and—along with the related noun hag—the Passover in 12:14. See 23:14–18; 34:18–25.
- 5:2 I do not know the Lord: whether or not he had heard of the Lord, the God of Israel, Pharaoh here refuses to acknowledge the Lord’s authority. See note on 1:8.
- 5:5 They are already more numerous: a recollection of Pharaoh’s earlier words to his subjects in 1:9.
- 5:6 The taskmasters of the people and their foremen: the former were higher officials and probably Egyptians; the latter were lower officials (perhaps recordkeepers or clerks), chosen from the Israelites themselves. Cf. v. 14.
- 5:7 Straw was mixed with clay to give sun-dried bricks greater cohesion and durability.
- 5:10 Thus says Pharaoh: the standard formula for prophetic oracles, but with Pharaoh rather than the Lord as the subject. This heightens the sense of personal conflict between Pharaoh, who acts as if he were God, and the Lord, whose claims are spurned by Pharaoh.
- 5:15 Cried out to Pharaoh: the Hebrew verb translated “cry out” and its related noun are normally used of appeals to God by Moses (8:8; 14:15; 15:25; 17:4), the people (3:7, 9; 14:10), or an oppressed individual (22:22, 26). Here, by implication, these minor Israelite officials appeal to Pharaoh as if he were their God. See v. 10.
Exodus 5
New International Version
Exodus 5
New International Version
Bricks Without Straw
5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go,(A) so that they may hold a festival(B) to me in the wilderness.’”
2 Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord,(C) that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”(D)
3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey(E) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues(F) or with the sword.”
4 But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor?(G) Get back to your work!” 5 Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous,(H) and you are stopping them from working.”
6 That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers(I) and overseers in charge of the people: 7 “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks;(J) let them go and gather their own straw. 8 But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota.(K) They are lazy;(L) that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’(M) 9 Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”
10 Then the slave drivers(N) and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. 11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced(O) at all.’” 12 So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. 13 The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, “Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.” 14 And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed,(P) demanding, “Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?”
15 Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way? 16 Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”
17 Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy!(Q) That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Now get to work.(R) You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.”
19 The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.” 20 When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, 21 and they said, “May the Lord look on you and judge(S) you! You have made us obnoxious(T) to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword(U) in their hand to kill us.”(V)
God Promises Deliverance
22 Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people?(W) Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued(X) your people at all.”
English Standard Version (ESV) 
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New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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